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Coastal Women for Change

In preparation for the upcoming holiday season, I've been working with organizations across the coast to ensure children in our communities have the best Christmas possible. Gulf Coast families have taken hit after hit, year after year from hurricanes, the BP Oil Disaster and then again this year from Hurricane Isaac. Our families are struggling to keep a roof over their heads and essential needs met, in far too many cases leaving no resources for Christmas gifts or even a good Christmas dinner.

When the plane set down in Rio de Janeiro, I thought, "Wow, this is like the movies." I had never been to Brazil before. But what I was really excited about was reconnecting with my sisters from developing nations across the globe. I had met several of these incredible women back in 2009 at the United Nations Summit on Climate Change in New York City.

Last week, Sharon Hanshaw represented Biloxi, Mississippi and women across the Gulf Coast in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil at the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development. Sharon spoke about how her experience after Hurricane Katrina led her to advocacy and to addressing climate change on a local and global scale.

Last weekend in Washington, D.C., more than 100 Gulf Coast residents called for action from President Obama and Congress to make BP pay for its ongoing disaster, and to clean up and restore the Gulf Coast. The contingent was part of Power Shift 2011, a youth climate summit and organizing training, nearly 10,000 people strong. Watch the top five videos from the historic summit, as children, students, workers, advocates, and whistleblowers challenged big polluters and too

When Coastal Women for Change first thought about doing a community garden, I was very skeptical. For one thing I have never grown anything before. For another, I have never grown anything before (lol). But once I thought about it in depth, I was on board with both feet in.

“My name is Sharon Hanshaw… I’m a native of Biloxi, Mississippi. I was a cosmetologist for twenty-one years… and Hurricane Katrina hit. Hurricane Katrina just sped my life into this whirlwind of activism. I had no choice but to step up, and try to make sure that our voices were heard in the recovery process, now and in the future.”